‘Transformation refers to a change in the fundamental attributes of natural and human systems’ (Source: IPCC AR6)
Everybody agrees that to deal with and respond to the climate crisis, there needs to be transformation in the systems that have led us to where we are now.
And that includes the UNFCCC. Twenty-eight years of business as usual has not gotten us very far. The world faces warming of 2.4°C at the present trajectory. Addressing Loss & Damage has hardly got to the starting line and funding isn’t anywhere to be seen. Only now, after the strong intervention of the countries most affected, are we beginning to talk about a Global Goal for Adaptation.
But talk so far has produced little. To be serious about increasing resilience, building capacity and reducing vulnerability we must step away from the careful plodding language of diplomacy and start talking action.
There are some good signs. COP26 set off the work programme for the Global Goal on Adaptation. At this weeks SBs the first workshop will be held. The time for a Global Stocktake is at hand and roundtables for that are also being held this week. That’s good. But there are no solid rules for workshops and roundtables. This week we can make the rules and they should be that each participant is free to speak out and be heard in whatever language they think suits their case.
We might hope that countries can be told that they do not have the answers. The intricacy and diversity of risk and adaptation action means that countries should facilitate plans stemming from the most local knowledge. We might hope that climate vulnerability and capacity analysis is routinely conducted alongside the people affected so the risk is understood, and their needs can be properly addressed. We might hope that the UNFCCC can contribute to the work of others – at national but more importantly at sub-national level – for people to anticipate, absorb and adapt to what they are facing, and create the transformation that will make sure vulnerabilities are eliminated and their resilience will be strong and lasting.
Transformation must include eliminating the barriers across the UNs good intentions. The Paris Agreement, Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals are the same struggle. Adaptation involves them all and we need to be considering them together. The International Court of Justice must become involved so that obligations under the UNFCCC, human rights law, environmental agreement are clearly understood.
But first we have to look to ourselves. At the these intersessionals, are we transforming our thinking, our methods and our urgency so that we are genuinely facing up to this existential threat?